By Bashir Mohamed Hussein

There exists a very strong commitment from very powerful political figures, both domestic and foreign, together with some mafia-styled companies to silent [sic] whoever wants to proof the existence of this dirty and deadly business in Somalia. Indeed it is very much easy to silent [sic] one or two individuals. Ambassador Yusuf Mohamed Ismail “Bari-Bar.
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March 27^th, 2015 shall remain a day in the history pages of the Somali diplomatic corps: the day a well-orchestrated assassination mission by a ruthless, heavily armed commandos killed twenty-four (24) people in a Mogadishu hotel. Amongst the innocent victims was the Somalia’s Ambassador to United Nations Office in Genève and other specialized institutions in Switzerland H. E. Ambassador Yusuf Mohamed Ismail “Bari-Bari”. Appointed to the post in December 2007 by the then Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Amb. Bari-Bari, among other institutions in Genève, represented Somalia at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Born in Rome, Italy on July 15^th, 1958 to a family with its roots in diplomacy, Amb. Bari-Bari was bitten by the public service bug at a young age; an energetic, affable and a political activist, Amb. Bari-Bari, who had been particularly interested in matters relating to social, economic and environmental justice, completed his university studies in Bologna, Italy. His murder was yet another tragic loss of the life of a true Somali human rights champion who had sacrificed the best part of his life, even at the cost of his own family and personal wellbeing, to promote and advocate for the fundamental human rights of the Somali people, particularly the weakest segments of the society including children, women and minorities.

Amb. Bari-Bari was known to all, Somalis and non-Somalis alike, for his relentless pursue of the dream of realizing the human rights of the Somali people who have been suffering from all kinds of abuses in almost four decades of dictatorial regimes, brutal conflicts and statelessness. In addition, within the greater context of the human rights situation in Africa and elsewhere, Amb. Bari-Bari was a staunch defender and active promoter of the God-given basic human rights of not only Somalis but also other social and ethnic groups that were equally oppressed, persecuted or otherwise dehumanized. One outstanding example is Amb. Bari-Bari’s battles for the rights of the people who live with Albinism. In fact, according to the UNHRC, “his tragic death came only a day after a Human Rights Council resolution creating the mandate of an Independent Expert on the enjoyment of the rights of persons with albinism was adopted by consensus – a development due in no small part to Ambassador Bari Bari, who was the first diplomat to push for the plight of persons with albinism to be placed on the agenda of the Human Rights Council”.

Likewise, Amb. Bari-Bari was an active advocate of the human rights of the brotherly Eritrean people as reflected by official recognition of the Eritrean human rights groups and UNHRC. In an official letter addressed to the President of Somali Federal Government (SFG) H. E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Eritrean Human Rights Concern (HRCE) wrote “We would particularly like to express our deep appreciation and respect for the work of your distinguished Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, H.E. Mr. Yusuf Mohamed Ismail “Bari Bari”, an exceptional and resolute diplomat whose integrity and compassion for those suffering deep injustice epitomises the best values of our continent.  Not only did he spearhead a historic resolution addressing the often severe mistreatment of Persons with Albinism; he has also played a crucial role in bringing the long-neglected case of the Eritrean people to international attention”.

Difficult Operational Context

From the onset, unlike most of his colleagues in Genève, Amb. Yusuf has been working in an extremely difficult operational environment characterized by lack of and/or severe inadequacy of meaningful institutional and logistical support on the part of his resources-deprived government to carry out his duties as Ambassador. In a rare encounter when I had met with the late Ambassador in June 2010 in Genève, I had personally witnessed the exceptionally difficult working conditions of the late Ambassador. My trip to Genève enabled me to gain a firsthand experience about the precarious conditions under which Amb. Bari-Bari carried out his duties and his exceptional patience. Among other things, having visited the premises of Somali mission in Genève, the Ambassador told me that he had refurbished the small office with his own personal resources as he had no public funds or budget at his disposal. With all likelihood, at the time, Amb. Bari-Bari was the only Ambassador in Genève who had not been receiving stipend or any other financial incentives from his government let alone an official car to discharge his day-to-day duties. Few ambassadors, if any, would have normally performed or functioned under similar circumstances. Against all odds, however, thanks to his passion, patriotic spirit and unparalleled perseverance, Amb. Bari-Bari has achieved extraordinary results and strategic milestones on behalf of his beloved country in the field of human rights.

Read more: A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE AMB. YUSUF MOHAMED ISMAIL “BARI-BARI”

Bashir Mohamed Hussein
Email: shakiib.sheikh@gmail.com